


Ideas

by Jenn_Calaelen



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-23
Updated: 2013-06-23
Packaged: 2017-12-15 22:55:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/854936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenn_Calaelen/pseuds/Jenn_Calaelen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the end of <em>Barrayar</em> Alys Vorpatril takes on the challenge of running the social aspects of the Imperial Residence</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ideas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [paranoidangel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/paranoidangel/gifts).



When Spring was in full force, Lady Alys Vorpatril returned to Vorbarra Sultana from the Vorpatril district. Following the Koudelka wedding she had needed to mourn her husband and Princess Karen in peace. However, she had Ivan to look after, and perhaps other duties – Lord Vorkosigan had requested she attend him on her return. 

  


Thus she sat in the small audience room in the Imperial Residence. He, or more likely Cordelia, had changed the furniture. The room now had a group of chairs and a small tea table looking out over the gardens. She recognised some of the items from other visits to the Residence under Emperor Ezar. However, the room had been set up to look deliberately informal. She expected that it was intended to put people at their ease. One her arrival she had been escorted here and brought tea, with apologises for the fact that Aral's last meeting was running over time. She sipped her tea and quietly ignored the Imp Sec man guarding her.

Only a few minutes later Aral Vorkosigan entered the room. Alys started to rise, but he gestured her to remain sitting, then sat opposite her.

“Lady Vorparil, it is good to see you back here,” he said smiling slightly at her. “I hope that you will consider this request carefully.” He paused for a second, just long enough to fully catch her attention and focus it on what he was going to say, “Cordelia has indicated that she would very much rather not take on the normal ceremonial duties of Empress or Dowager Empress. I was hoping that you might take on that role – with the title of Social Secretary for the Emperor, and the money and authority necessary.”

She sipped her tea and allowed the thought to sink in, trying to think of the consequences of either response. It would be a hard job to do well, but she had seen Princess Kareen do it enough to know what was needed.

“I would be honoured.”

“Excellent. Your first challenge will be organising a reception for the new Betan Ambassador. As they recalled their ambassador following the Escorbar invasion, I can only emphasise strongly how important it is that their restoration of diplomatic relations goes smoothly.”

She nodded, already turning the issues over in her mind.

“Good. There is an office set up for here, and the remains of Princess Kareen's staff to assist you for now. Longer term, you may, naturally, arrange your own assistants”

“Thank you,” she said quietly, knowing how important this was and how much additional influence it would give her.

He looked at her ironically, “Don't thank me. It will be a hard task and I can think of no one else I could trust with it.”

She stood, curtsied slightly and left, allowing the Imp Sec guard to guide her to the office – glad that it was not the one where Kareen had worked.

  


***

  


The next two days were spent in a whirl of preparations, putting the first level of events and plans into place. Once the outline was there and Lady Alys had passed the requirements on to those responsible for each section and got their responses, she had time to look through the details for the reception. Given the tentative political situation it was very important to impress and not offend the ambassador. Cordelia would have comments and suggestions, but as there was still an outstanding arrest warrant for her, it made far more sense for her to be quietly absent, taking care of Miles – an absolutely unquestionable excuse. 

Lady Alys sighed looking over the security plans again, Imp Sec everywhere – their presence was necessary, but surely there was a way for them to be less visible – less of a reminder of Hostilities (hopefully past). She added a note to her secretary, asking for a meeting with Captain Illyian. Next, the guest list – enough Vor and Counts to make sure that the Ambassador did not feel slighted, but she ran her pen down the list crossing out names of those inclined to be rude or inappropriate in various ways. She added names – some of the remaining Ambassadors and trade delegates. She looked over his background and interests – was there anything there to help her pick out dinner partners? Yet most of it was outside her experience. She would have to spend more time learning about galactic culture – Padma might have known as his mother- She cut that thought off and turned back to the lists. Adding a note to herself she set the guest list and seating plan aside and turned to the food list – that should be simpler. Yet she remembered Cordelia's horror over natural meat, better to ensure it was all vat grown, even at the expense of the taste.

  


***

  


Captain Illyan received the request as a part of his mail the next morning as he sipped his coffee after the briefing with Lord Vorkosigan. He flicked his mind down his morning's tasks. Nothing that could not wait until after this – no doubt the meeting would be about the reception and that was his biggest security headache at the moment, therefore high priority. He ordered his secretary to check her availability while going through the other messages importance enough to have been pased directly up to him – three more progress reports and one final report from his agents. A quick glance showed nothing there that would catch on fire in the next hour, or even day. Everything was calm for a change. When his secretary commed to say that at once was acceptable, he left the office and crossed to the Residence.

Lady Alys had been given a suite of rooms on the first floor, overlooking the gardens. The outer office where two secretaries were working was tidy and furnished tastefully with some of the pieces he remembered seeing in storage in one of the attics. One of the secretaries (Olivia Vorbretten, a third cousin of the count from an impoverished line) got to her feet as soon as he entered, and opened the door to the inner office. 

“Captain Illyan to see you, my lady.”

She held the door open to allow him to enter. 

“Thank you, Olivia. Please bring in tea.”

Lady Alys was standing behind the desk, but glided over to him. “Captain Illyan, thank you for making time to meet with me.” She took his hands for a moment. “Please sit down.” 

She gestured to a pair of seats by a small table. He sat, noticing the angle of the chair, allowing him to see the door and windows (blind spots to the corners of the room but there were no doors or passages there).

“I was told you had some concerns about security for the reception for the new Betan Ambassador.”

She nodded, waiting while her secretary brought in and set out the tea. She poured him a cup, offering milk, sugar and biscuits, then said,

“I am awake of the need to have a strong presence from Imp Sec. However, so many visible armed guards tend to make Galactics feel uncomfortable.”

He nodded, waiting to see if she had an idea, knowing that she would not have requested a meeting just to state the obvious.

“How would it strike you to have some of them act as servers?”

He put down his tea cup, turning the idea over.

“You could train them to your standards.” It was not quite a question.

“I imagine so,” she said dryly.

“They would be well place to overhear conversations and intercept problems.”

“Indeed so.”

“A tray of glasses could make a weapon if needed.”

She nodded. “I would prefer not, good sets of glassware are hard to replace – but worth infinitely less than a life.”

He nodded grimly.

“Milady,” he paused.

“No need to say it again, Captain Illyan.” Her voice was calm and firm. “You have nothing to feel guilty over.”

He sighed. “Thank you.” He could still hear her description of Lord Vorpatril's death as told on her arrival at Tanery Base. She had been dressed in a random assortment of shabby clothes, but still had her presence around her. She had stood there, holding Lord Ivan in her arms, and through tears recounted Lord Vorparil's death to him and Aral. With every word Aral's face had grown grimmer and grimmer, before he had taken her hands and sworn to protect her and look after her son He forced the memories back, focusing on the list in from of him.

“I will select a group of twenty to report for training – to you?”

“To the castellan.”

“Yes, milady,”

“If this works well, I will arrange for all those on residence duty to have the training.”

He got to his feet and bowed slightly to her before leaving. It seemed that she would make a useful colleague and ally.


End file.
